


love is a promise, love is a souvenir

by rissalaroo



Series: aralas oneshots [3]
Category: The Lord of the Rings (Movies), The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Ficlet, Fluff, M/M, Misunderstandings, One Shot, Vignette, im sorry if this is shit lol I finished it like 8 minutes ago and wanted to post it, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-04
Updated: 2019-02-04
Packaged: 2019-10-22 04:01:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17655695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rissalaroo/pseuds/rissalaroo
Summary: “Can we speak for a moment?” he asked, returning to the bed and sitting down. Aragorn nodded."I’ve been wondering why you’ve been distant lately,” he began bluntly. “You’ve been growing distant, and you’re never here when I wake up. I rise with the sun, Aragorn. You return to bed once I am already asleep, and even then you lay facing away from me. I understand that being king keeps you busy, but do you even want to spend time with your lover? Because it does not feel as though you do. It feels as though you’re avoiding me.”





	love is a promise, love is a souvenir

**Author's Note:**

> GOD i'm actually such a mess... i wrote this to cope and also to procrastinate lmao
> 
> i have! an unrequited crush which is, like. fantastic. because the girl I like is straight :') i also kinda had a mental breakdown abt the fact that i lowkey had a huge gay crush on someone for years without realizing it so like that's great
> 
> i also have math homework. which i should probably go do, seeing as it's after midnight. hope u enjoy this trainwreck of a fic!

Legolas glanced around the silent bedroom, his gaze meeting only empty space, and he clutched the blankets closed to his chest. Once again, he’d woken up alone, Aragorn’s half of the bed cold already. He sighed, the soft sound filling the empty air around him. It was silent and empty, far too much so, without his lover’s warmth and presence here with him.

 

His brow furrowed, but he relaxed his grip on the sheets and kicked his legs over the side of the bed. It had been a week and a half now that he’d woken up alone, Aragorn long since gone. He’d fallen asleep before Aragorn had even entered their chambers half of the past few nights, and had only woken up to witness his partner collapse into bed, exhausted, his back to Legolas.

 

He may have gotten used to it, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t worried. They were supposed to get married in a month, for Valar’s sake! Aragorn couldn’t ignore him forever. At this point, his mantra had become more of a prayer than a reassurance. Pressing his bare feet to the cold tile of the room, he stood, making his way to the adjacent dressing room and washroom to prepare for the day. He was going to confront Aragorn tonight. It was fine, he told himself, if Aragorn had decided that he didn’t want them to be together, Legolas just wanted to know why. 

 

 

Legolas sat down on the edge of the bed, shivering from the cold, anxiety fraying at his resolve. Logically, he knew that Aragorn wouldn’t agree to anything he didn’t want to do, but he was still scared. He was the one who had confessed; what if Aragorn hadn’t reciprocated his feelings, and had merely agreed to enter into this relationship out of pity? The thought sent another shiver down his spine, this one nothing to do with the temperature of the chambers. It was late, and he had already shed his formal tunic in favor of a pair of comfortable trousers and a soft, thin tunic to sleep in.

 

His fingers drummed nervously on his legs, tapping out a fast, frantic beat that matched his own heart rate. It was already long past dark, and Legolas had been free from his own duties since two hours past, and had been left to do nothing but worry. He’d spent a half hour wandering around the grounds of the castle, trying to clear his head. Him and Aragorn had been together for merely a month now, but he had seen his lover grow more distant with each passing day. 

 

He closed his eyes and let the memory wash over him.

 

 

_“Aragorn,” called, his hands clenched into fists at his sides, the sound of his voice halting the king in his steps. Aragorn turned his head, his expression one of curiosity._

_“Yes, Legolas?” He answered, tone inquiring. “What do you need?”_

_The elf paused, his expression mild and calm, concealing his nerves. This could go two ways: Aragorn could smile, awkwardly but gently reject his affections, and they would never be able to talk in the same way, with the same closeness, or he would curtly and quickly reject him, and pretend that the confession never happened. In all honesty, he was hoping for the latter. He needed to get this off of his chest. He just didn’t want to ruin a friendship he’d cherished for so long, especially since his time with Aragorn was limited._

_“Can we speak in private for a moment?” He asked, voice steady. Aragorn nodded, then spoke to the rest of his entourage before they continued on without him. Aragorn strode over to the elf, his cape billowing behind him as he moved. He looked rather dashing in all of his coronation finery, the ceremony finished merely and hour ago. Legolas’s own silver tunic was just as fine in make, and they made quite the pair as the elf led the king down the corridor and into a quiet stairwell where they could talk._

_“I have something to tell you; it is important, but promise me that if you dislike my words, our friendship will remain the same,” Legolas said firmly, aching to release the rest of his thought. However, he wished for his friendship to be secure. He trusted Aragorn’s word without a doubt, and he would not bare his heart without first securing his friendship with the King of Men._

_“Of course, mellon nin,” Aragorn said, sounding a bit confused, though he did not press Legolas for and explanation, knowing that it would come in due time._

_Legolas shifted his feet on the floor, studying his boots as they scuffed across the floor._

_“For a long while, I have known that matters of the heart would be difficult for me. I did not know, however, that I would fall so quickly and so hard for someone so close to me.” His nervous fingers found a stand of pale hair falling across his face and tucked it back into place behind his ear. He shifted once more, nervous. “I have known for years, decades maybe, that I am in love with you. I don’t know quite when I figured it out, but it’s not a new feeling. I love you, Aragorn, and I do not expect you to return it. The time for me to tell you has long been past; I know this talk has long been overdue. I apologize, truly, for anything that I may have caused by telling you this.” He dared not raise his eyes, lest he see the disappointment on Aragorn’s handsome face, an emotion he wished that he was not the one to cause. He stood firm, even though every instinct in his body screamed at him to turn and run like a coward._

_There was a quiet scrape of boot soles on the ground as Aragorn’s boots stepped quietly in front of his, stopping a mere few inches in front of his own. He could hear his friend’s soft breathing, and he felt Aragorn take his hand. He braced himself mentally for the words that he knew were coming, the words he did not wish to hear._

_“You know not how long I have waited to hear those words, Legolas,” came the whisper._

_Legolas’s head snapped up so fast he could swear he got whiplash. “What?” he asked, surprised._

_“I have waited for so long to hear those words because I am a coward, and have been far too afraid to speak them aloud myself.” Aragorn took Legolas’s other hand in his as well, gentle fingers uncurling the elf’s fist. “I have loved you for long, and always feared that nothing would come of it. I fell in love with you over the course of years. I did not fall in love with you at first; when I met your eyes for the first time, though, I saw the possibility of someone I could love. Someone who could be mine in my heart, but never outside. This,” he concluded, releasing one of the elf’s hands in favor of tracing his jawline softly, “Is something I have dreamed of for years. It would please me very much,” his voice dropped so low that Legolas could hardly make out his words, “If I could stop addressing you as mellon nin and address you as meleth.” ___

__

__Legolas’s free hand drifted to Aragorn’s hip, resting there gently, and he whispered, “I have a proposal.” Aragorn hummed softly in response, urging him to continue. “You may call me melleth, but only if you kiss me first.”_ _

__

__Aragorn wasted no time. The last words were hardly out of the elf’s mouth before he captured Legolas’s lips in a searing kiss, backing him up against the wall of the stairwell. Their knees bumped together as Legolas’s back thumped against the hard stone wall, his hands roaming up and down the king’s back. Aragorn’s hands had left Legolas’s had and chin in favor of tangling in the elf’s silky blonde locks, and he tugged gently at them. Legolas moaned softly into the kiss, and returned to it with even more passion. After what seemed like hours, but could have been seconds, they broke apart._ _

__

__Aragorn laid his head on Legolas’s shoulder and whispered, “I love you, Legolas, meleth.” There was a quiet pause, and Aragorn continued. “That sounds even better when spoken aloud than it does within the confines of my own mind.”_ _

__

__Legolas ran his hands gently up and down Aragorn’s back, tracing winding shapes into his back. They swayed gently, encompassed in each other’s arms. “I love you too, Aragorn. Meleth,” he tacked the word onto the end, almost as an afterthought, and it felt so much better on his tongue than he’d dreamed it would. “Meleth.” ____

___ _

___“Meleth,” Legolas whispered out loud, the word echoing around the empty chamber , filled only with dim candlelight. No sign of Aragorn. He sighed, and rubbed at his temple. The passion he’d felt from Aragorn’s kiss was undeniable, as was the love in his voice when he’d said “Meleth,” but Legolas was still hesitant. Aragorn wouldn’t have agreed to this relationship out of mere pity; he knew the man too well to assume that. So was Aragorn simply not wishing to see him right now? Was the king mad at him? He shook his head, clearing the thoughts from his mind._ _ _

___ _

___Wondering would do nothing but drive him mad with worry. Talking to Aragorn was his best option._ _ _

___ _

___He stood, wondering if movement would help calm his mind, when the door to the bedroom creaked open. Aragorn stepped in, clearly exhausted, but his face brightened when he saw Legolas, his tiredness seeming to fade for a moment. Legolas offered his lover a small smile before speaking._ _ _

___ _

___“Can we speak for a moment?” he asked, returning to the bed and sitting down. Aragorn nodded._ _ _

___ _

___“Of course, meleth. Can I change first, though?” he asked, gesturing to his formal attire; one of the many perks or downsides of being king, depending upon how it was viewed. Legolas nodded, settling down more comfortably on the bed to wait._ _ _

___ _

___Once Aragorn had changed into more comfortable clothing, he settled down on the bed next to his lover. “What is it you wished to speak of?” he inquired gently, taking Legolas’s hand in his. The elf looked down, staring at their linked fingers, and squeezed his hand gently._ _ _

___ _

___“I’ve been wondering why you’ve been distant lately,” he began bluntly. “You’ve been growing distant, and you’re never here when I wake up. I rise with the sun, Aragorn. You return to bed once I am already asleep, and even then you lay facing away from me. I understand that being king keeps you busy, but do you even want to spend time with your lover? Because it does not feel as though you do. It feels as though you’re avoiding me.”_ _ _

___ _

___As soon as he shut his mouth, Legolas cringed internally. Perhaps it was a bit harsh and blunt, but it was the truth. He could not take it back now, and it was best to get to the point swiftly anyways._ _ _

___ _

___Aragorn’s grip on his hand tightened almost imperceptibly as he tensed, processing his lover’s words. “I am busy, but you are correct.”_ _ _

___ _

___It was Legolas’s turn to tense, and it felt almost like a flinch._ _ _

___ _

___Aragorn continued on, intently watching his thumb trace patterns onto the back of Legolas’s hand as he spoke. “I have been avoiding you. I apologize. With my schedule, I do not see you often at all, and I feared that after a while, you’d fade away, slip out of my grasp, and I’d wake up one morning to and empty bed and realized that this was but a dream. I pulled away, so as not to face my fears. I am truly sorry,” he finished as he looked up, raising Legolas’s hand and brushing his lips across the back. “Can you ever forgive me, meleth?”_ _ _

___ _

___Legolas met his gaze steadily, and cracked another small smile. “I was not the only one afraid, it seems. We were feeling the same way, and neither of us knew it. I only wish you had told me this sooner.”_ _ _

___ _

___Aragorn sighed, closing his eyes. “I know that now, my love, and I am sorry for the grief I have caused you.” He shifted on the bed, moving closer to Legolas, and Legolas simply let him. “I will have faramir clear more of my schedule during the night and morning. I wish to spend some time with you, and do not wish to burn myself out during the day. We are, after all, to be wed in a month’s time. What kind of husband would I be, or king, for that matter, if I did not spend any time with my beloved.” He shifted a miniscule amount closer with each word, and this time Legolas matched him. “I am sorry for making you feel neglected and alone. It was a mistake on my part, and I will not make it again.” He leaned his head on his lover’s shoulder._ _ _

___ _

___Legolas turned his head, pressing a chaste, gentle kiss to Aragorn’s lips. “I forgive you. And I apologize, too, for ever giving you cause to think that I may not love you.”_ _ _

___ _

___Aragorn sat up once more, shaking his head. “That was a trick of my own mind, and not the fault of you in any manner.”_ _ _

___ _

___Legolas shifted, pressing himself up against Aragorn’s side, and whispered in his ear. “Now that the matter is settled, I would rather like to go to sleep. How does that sound to you?”_ _ _

___ _

___Aragorn smiled wearily. “Sleep sounds wonderful right now,” he admitted._ _ _

___ _

___They settled under the covers, legs tangled together and fingers still intertwined. Legolas’s eyes fell shut, heavy with exhaustion, but he was loath to stop gazing at his husband-to-be’s face, close enough to his own that he could feel his soft breath. Aragorn squeezed his hand gently as he saw the elf’s eyes flutter._ _ _

___ _

___“Sleep now, meleth. I love you.”_ _ _

___ _

___The only words that Legolas managed to get out were a soft “I love you too” before he drifted off to sleep, the comfortable warmth of his lover filling the bed beside him._ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> as always, comments and kudos are my bread and butter! i live off of them and every one is appreciated! thanks for reading :)
> 
> meleth: my love  
> mellon nin: friend/my friend  
> (if i'm wrong don't stone me too hard lol)


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